Summer is almost here! Hot weather, occasional rain showers and intense sunshine can be good for your grass and hard on it at the same time. These summer lawn care tips can help you keep your grass lush and healthy all summer long. Make the most of your summer and your time spent outdoors by maintaining a green, vibrant lawn throughout the growing season.
Water Deeply, Infrequently and At the Right Time
Watering deeply encourages your grass to grow deep roots that embed it in the soil. These deep roots make it harder for weeds to grow on your lawn. What counts as deep watering? Stick a pen or a ruler in the ground after the sprinklers turn off. The soil should be wet to a depth of 4 to 6 inches. If the water in the soil doesn’t go that far, adjust your sprinkler to water longer for each stretch.
Water your lawn two to three times each week. Your lawn may need watering more frequently on the hottest and most intense days of summer, and less watering if you get a lot of rain. Adjust your sprinkler schedule accordingly.
Control Weeds
Controlling weeds is a weekly chore in the summer, but staying on top of the problem can prevent weeds from spreading. Once weeds mature, they can spread seeds that make controlling the problem even more difficult. Set aside time each week to use weed treatment on your lawn.
Use weed treatments carefully, following the manufacturer’s instructions exactly. Keep weed treatments away from children and store them in conditions as specified on the container.
Alternatively, you can also pull weeds the old-fashioned way. Some tips when pulling weeds:
- Pull weeds straight up, including their roots.
- Pull weeds after a rain or after watering your lawn, because it’s easier to pull weeds out from moist soil.
- Wear gloves when weeding; some weeds have pointy leaves.
- Use a shovel or a garden hoe to remove tough weeds.
- Mulch beds after weeding, or fill in holes left by weeds with grass seed.
Weeding can be hard on your back and hard on your knees. To prevent damage to your body, weed in short spells. Wear knee pads or sit on a gardening stool.
If you’re not up for the hard work of weeding, contact a landscaper who performs garden or lawn maintenance. You don’t have to take on this job yourself. It’s best to do the work regularly and often than it is to let weeds get out of control, so contact a landscaping professional as soon as possible. Your landscaping professional can tell you how often they think weeding should happen based on the condition of your yard.
Cut Your Grass to the Right Height
Different types of grass should be cut to different heights, so research your type of grass to find out what height is preferred. If you’re not sure what kind of grass is planted in your yard, ask your landscape contractor for advice. Longer grass is usually best. Maintaining semi-long grass blades is healthy for the grass and also good for the soil. Long blades shade the soil and help keep it moist.
Avoid cutting more than one-third of the grass at a time. If your grass is far too long, cut it to about 30% of its current height, then cut again in a week to help keep your grass healthy.
Fertilize Your Lawn
Some experts say to fertilize your lawn about every six weeks throughout the summer. However, some fertilizers cause the grass to grow too quickly, which can lead to a lot of extra grass cutting for you.
Use a low-nitrogen fertilizer, following the instructions on the fertilizer and take care to disperse the fertilizer evenly. Too much fertilizer can cause your grass to turn brown.
Let Clippings Feed the Lawn
Leave grass clippings on your lawn to fertilize the grass and return nutrients to the soil. Some lawn mowers are designed to cut grass and leave tiny clippings on the lawn. If you have this type of lawnmower, the job will be done for you. If you don’t have this type of mower, scatter clippings on your lawn after mowing.
Get Your Lawn Off to the Right Start
Some lawns are just too damaged to repair. If your lawn is more weed than grass, or if your grass is too unhealthy to resuscitate, laying new sod is the fastest, easiest way to improve the appearance of your lawn and get your grass off to the right start.
You can resod your lawn throughout the year, but the best time to resod is in early fall, when the temperatures are starting to cool. Another good time to resod is in mid-spring. If you’re trying to resod at a challenging time of year, work closely with a landscape contractor to get the work done. Having guidance from a professional will help ensure the success of your sod.
If you do choose to plant new sod on your property, choose the right grass for your lawn. Some grass performs well in shade, while many other types of grass need bright sunshine to thrive. Plant the grass that will thrive in the conditions on your existing lawn. Working with a professional makes this easier, so if you’re not sure what type of grass is best for your property, talk to a pro.
Hire a Professional
The best way to ensure that your grass will look its best throughout the growing season is to hire a professional landscaping company. Work with a pro to resod your lawn, pull your weeds, and maintain your grass. Healthy grass looks good and can improve the value of your home!
Want to know more? Talk to Hidden Creek Landscaping. We can help you redesign your lawn or maintain your outdoor spaces. Through regular maintenance, you can keep your property looking its best throughout the growing season. Call today!
